The Pantheon
The Pantheon in Rome, an amazing structure and well worth visiting!
Rome is just lovely. I would be really happy to go spend a week or so there, wandering and shooting like mad. So much history, beautiful architecture…I think I would skip as much sleep as possible! Here’s one I captured there a few years ago, just as blue hour descended on the Pantheon. I really thought it was more powerful in monochrome.
Sunset at the Vatican
Stunning light + stunning location = happy photographer!
This was one of those sunsets that you just luck into. Well, since we can’t control the weather, I guess we luck into all of them. But you know, I didn’t expect the light to be so stunning, or The Vatican to be so deserted. But hey, no complaints from me! :-)
Sunset in Roma
A stunning sunset in Rome, Italy…
Sometimes you just luck into some beautiful light, and happen to have the camera handy! Sure, I love to plan ahead like everyone else, but when I stumbled onto this scene while walking back to my hotel in Rome, I was very happy to get a “lucky shot” for a change!
A gorgeous Roman sunset
Some beautiful light over the river in Rome...
Sometimes I show up at just the right time!
But only sometimes. Truthfully, I rarely show up at the right time. Usually I am somewhere and I see a gorgeous sunset about to happen, and I am in exactly the wrong place. I just happened to get lucky on this fine evening in Rome. We had been out and about doing whatever it is you do in Rome (in our case, lots of walking and gelato!) and were heading to this spot around sunset. I had already shot here the previous night and it was en route to our hotel, so it just worked out great.
This is the view from the bridge that leads across the river to the Castel Sant'Angelo. The Vatican and all that stuff is behind me in this photo. While the light around the Vatican was nice, the sunset sky in this direction was just gorgeous.
A Vatican sunset
A stunning sunset in Rome, captured with the Vatican in the distance...
A Roman view that I never tire of!
When we were in Rome, we passed by this spot countless times, and each time I stopped and took a few photos. It's an amazing view and when I arrived here at sunset one evening, I was pleasantly surprised to have some beautiful light to go with the beautiful subject matter!
I find Rome pretty fascinating, with all the history and architecture. There's just so much to enjoy about it, and of course so much to shoot! You can never see it all, but it's fun to try! :-)
In fact, I compiled a list of what I found to be the best places to take photos in Rome, which is right here on the blog: https://nomadicpursuits.com/top-photo-spots-in-rome/
The greatest church in the world
The Vatican in Rome is simply breath-taking!
Yes, I believe the Vatican deserves that title!
Wow, the Vatican in Rome is just magnificent. It is HUGE - yes, that is all caps - and it is simply stunningly gorgeous. I could go on but I would run out of superlatives before I felt like I really got my point across! It is that amazing.
When you take a tour of the place, I believe you will constantly be saying WOW and OMG and all that sort of stuff. It's a jaw-dropper, literally. Plus, there are a million parts of it and they are all photogenic. It's a good way to spend an entire day - and yes you could spend that much there.
This is a quick snap I took after our tour, down the main aisle. It's just cavernous in there!
The Fountain of Four Rivers
My favorite fountain in the world...in the lovely Piazza Navona in Rome.
Still the coolest fountain I have ever seen!
I absolutely love this fountain. I loved it the first time I saw it in 2001, and I still love it. It sits in Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy and it's gorgeous. If you read Dan Brown's book Angels & Demons, this is the fountain that the main character Robert Langdon was nearly drowned in.
It was designed by Bernini - like a lot of things in Rome - and is something I consider a "must see". If you are visiting Rome and looking for other spots to see and photograph, here is my list of the Top Photo Spots in Rome. Enjoy!
Vatican river sunset
An incredible sunset at the Vatican in Rome...
When we were in Rome last year, I ended up shooting sunset here on at least 2 different occasions, which was great by me. I love the view and if you get decent enough light you can really capture some beauties. I was lucky enough to get great light each time I was there, so no complaints from me. Thanks Rome! ;-)
The Colosseum
A view overlooking the Colosseum in Rome, Italy...
What an amazing spot in Rome!
When we were in Rome last year, we took a private group tour of the Colosseum. While this isn't something I normally do, I loved it for this location. There's so much history that it's great to hear it all while soaking up the sights. I would do it again.
Part of the tour included a climb up to the topmost level, which is outside the reach of those not on these types of tours. That's another way of saying it wasn't crowded here, which was great. We got to wander a bit and of course the view was magnificent!
As you can imagine, I was firing away happily for a while up here, until the tour had to move on. I think I got plenty of shots done though, so I didn't complain about having to give up my spot! :-)
Wandering in Rome
The fun I had in Rome while poking my head and camera down little side streets...
So much amazingness in Rome!
I loved wandering in Rome. It's an incredibly historic city, and thus there are a LOT of important sites to visit, but I admit that the most fun I had there came when I was just wandering aimlessly.
I have a thing for little back streets and the things you find in them, especially in Europe. I guess I'm a Europhile at heart. I love this stuff. So when I wandered in Rome, I spent a lot of time poking my head (and camera!) down these little side streets and seeing what I could find. It was great fun for me.
In particular, I loved wandering near Piazza Navona. That part of town just seemed to really attract me. There were lots of great cafes, some amazing gelato, and all of these little nooks and crannies to explore. Good fun!
Vatican sunset
A stunning sunset over The Vatican in Rome...
It was a perfect evening for shooting The Vatican!
There are many sunsets that fizzle out and end up being less than ideal, but this was not one of them. I will admit that I lucked into some amazing light when I was in Rome. I had several sunsets like this one while there. No complaints! ;-)
I had been all over Rome with the family that day, and as sunset approached we were headed back to our rented apartment, which was sort of behind The Vatican. I had to stick around a little bit though because I could see the light was coming together, and of course I would hate it if I missed something this spectacular.
This sunset did come together quite nicely, as you can see, and I was frantically running around and shooting all sorts of comps from in front of the cathedral. An evening well spent!
Angels and demons
A pair of statues on the Bridge of Angels in Rome, Italy, photographed during sunset
A pair of statues on the Bridge of Angels in Rome
I just completed and published my list of the best places to take photos in Rome, and part of that list includes shooting on the Bridge of Angels. There are 10 statues of angels, all representing a part of the story of Jesus' crucifixion. It's really a gorgeous spot and one well worth making a visit to while there. (I walked over it several times, so I shot it a lot.)
I tend to photograph sculptures quite a bit for some reason. I'm not sure why, although of course I appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship that goes into their creation. These were made by Bernini, whose collection of work is pretty stunning, so that's attractive, too.
When I was editing these pics, for some reason I was led to edit one in a very tame manner, much as it appeared to me that evening on the bridge. However as you can see in the other photo, I went for a much more dramatic edit.
Of course, they are both angels and there is no demon in sight. This is Rome, after all! ;-)
I just liked the sound of naming it "angels and demons", and of course that is also a none-too-subtle nod to the book Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. It's the predecessor to The Da Vinci Code and is quite the thriller. I actually liked it better than The Da Vinci Code. Much of Angels & Demons takes place in Rome, so it seemed rather fitting, anyway.
Well, I am rambling now, and I doubt you came here for literary recommendations, but thanks for stopping by and if you read this far, then congrats! ;-)
Ruins at the Roman Forum
A moody, dramatic shot from the Roman Forum
Rome is an incredible city to photograph, and the Roman Forum is one of the reasons.
I loved wandering around in Rome, ducking into side streets and finding so much history and architecture to photograph. It's a bit of a photographic paradise. Everything is old, historic and interesting. I absolutely loved it.
We spent one afternoon touring the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and I loved it. Even though it was the middle of a bright summer day (in other words, not ideal lighting conditions), I found so much to photograph and really enjoyed it.
This is one of the ruins in the Roman Forum. I can't remember what it is exactly, but it looks like an old temple or something. I just love this sort of thing, so I grabbed a quick shot. However, as I said since it was a bright day, the shot was only so-so looking.
So I took it into Luminar and used one of my new presets, called "My City of Ruins", and that gave it a much more interesting and dramatic look. That preset is in my "Cityscapes" preset pack which you can find here. Thanks for looking!
The most photographed staircase in the world
Here is the famous spiral staircase inside the Vatican Museums in Rome - it's incredible.
It's inside The Vatican in Rome - and it's magnificent!
When we planned our visit to Rome, this staircase was on the top of my list. Sure, it's been shot millions of times by others, but I had to see it and shoot it for myself. It's just way too interesting to skip over it.
Many people call this the Bramante Staircase, but actually that is not it's name. It is patterned after the original Bramante Staircase, which is elsewhere in the Vatican Museum and is not viewable. This one is called the Momo Staircase, or simply the Spiral Staircase. It's sort of a double helix implementation, and it's incredible.
We took a Vatican Museum tour that started early one morning, and I was excited because the tour let us in prior to the opening time for the general public. This was by design, knowing that it would mean there would be less people in my shots. It worked out great! We wandered all over the Vatican Museums and I was able to take a lot of photos without too many people in them.
But it was nearing the end of the tour and I still had not seen this staircase, so I was getting nervous. I knew it was in the Vatican Museum, but where? Well, the tour group stopped for a bathroom break, and I took those few moments to wander a little bit. I had read that the staircase used to be a main exit, and since we were near the end of the tour, I figured we had to be close.
Luckily, it was only about 20 yards from where our group stopped. I found it in a minute or so, and fired away happily. All of my shots were from the top looking down (the same view you have likely seen before), and the staircase was closed, so I could not go walking down it, but nonetheless I was able to get some shots. It's a joy to find and photograph something like this that you have wanted to see for a long time.
Golden hour at The Vatican
Golden light descends on The Vatican in Rome...
Here's a pic from our Rome trip - great light that evening!
We had been out wandering Rome all day - which is quite fun to do - and were heading back towards our rented apartment, which was sort of behind The Vatican. Sunset was approaching, so of course I was busy firing away. When we got to this spot where we needed to cross the street, I just had to stop and set up the tripod and fire some brackets. I couldn't resist this beautiful golden light. In fact, I ended up staying in this area for a while because sunset turned into quite a spectacle and I just couldn't leave!
This is a 3 exposure HDR merged and edited in Aurora HDR 2017.